Title

Multiscale Crystalline Structure of Confined Polypeptoid Films: The Effect of Alkyl Side Chain Branching

Authors

Qi Wang, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Liying Kang, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Xiangyu Xu, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Meng Zhang, Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States.
Albert Chao, Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States.
Jianxia Chen, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Zhijing Han, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Huihui Yu, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Ruipeng Li, National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States.
Yixin Zhao, Beijing Key Laboratory for Precise Mining of Intergrown Energy and Resources, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 100083, China.
Donghui Zhang, Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States.
Naisheng Jiang, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-20-2022

Abstract

We report the effect of alkyl side chain branching on melt-recrystallization of nanoconfined polypeptoid films using poly(-octyl glycine) (PNOG) and poly(-2-ethyl-1-hexyl glycine) (PNEHG) as model systems. Upon cooling from the isotropic melt, confined PNOG molecules recrystallize into a near-perfect orthorhombic crystal structure with the board-like molecules stacked face-to-face in the substrate-parallel direction, resulting in long-range ordered wormlike lamellae that occupy the entire film. By contrast, rod-like PNEHG molecules bearing branched -2-ethyl-1-hexyl side chains stack into a columnar hexagonal mesophase with their backbones oriented parallel to the substrates, forming micron-sized sheaf-like superstructures under confinement, exposing large areas of empty spaces in the film. These findings highlight the effect of alkyl side chain branching on the packing motif and multiscale crystalline structure of polypeptoids under a nanoconfined geometry.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

ACS macro letters

First Page

1060

Last Page

1066

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